Trump to announce path to citizenship for 2 million ‘Dreamers’

Cinthia Osorio of Dover is a DACA recipient who has been outspoken about needed legislation to give a path to citizenship for "Dreamers'.

In his State of the Union presentation tomorrow, President Donald Trump is expected to promote his new proposal for US$25 billion for a wall along the Mexican border and for a path to citizenship for nearly two million young people taken to the US illegally as children.

Trump's proposal includes billions for border security and significant changes to legal immigration long sought by hardliners within the Republican Party.

But some conservatives have warned that the deal would amount to "amnesty" for the so-called Dreamers, and many Democrats and immigration activists have outright rejected it.

"I think all of us realise that it's going to take a compromise on this issue for us to get something done and to protect the Dreamer population, which is certainly a goal of mine," said Senator Susan Collins.

"But I think the president is also right about border security, that we do need to beef up our border security."

Senator Joe Manchin called Trump's proposal "a good starting point.

"Let's see if it's something that we can agree on, something we need to adjust, something we can negotiate with," he said.

The annual prime-time address gives Trump an unfiltered opportunity to reach millions of Americans. The president remained behind closed doors at the White House over the weekend as he prepared his presentation.